Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zagreb and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Playa del Carmen: $1,204 a month against $1,772 in Zagreb, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Zagreb
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Zagreb Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Zagreb

🇭🇷 Croatia

$1,772

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zagreb and in Playa del Carmen

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Zagreb and in Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,772 per month in Zagreb vs $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zagreb $1,772
Playa del Carmen $1,204

A couple spends around $2,619 per month in Zagreb vs $2,082 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zagreb $2,619
Playa del Carmen $2,082

A family of three spends $3,467 per month in Zagreb vs $2,959 in Playa del Carmen, rent included.

Zagreb $3,467
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Zagreb costs about 47% more than Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Zagreb sits 30% above the global median, while Playa del Carmen is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.33 €11.08

$10.92 MX$204

12.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.9 €57.5

$43.37 MX$810

47.43%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.01 €7.20

$11.78 MX$220

-32.00%

Cappuccino

$2.50 €2.25

$3.81 MX$71.2

-34.38%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 €2.77

$1.28 MX$23.96

141.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.35

$0.78 MX$14.63

235.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.42 €3.07

$3.17 MX$59.2

7.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.05

$4.93 MX$92.2

-8.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 €1.14

$1.41 MX$26.28

-9.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 €1.43

$2.22 MX$41.43

-27.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$1.42 MX$26.48

88.73%

Eggs

$3.95 €3.55

$2.52 MX$47.14

56.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.58 €13.10

$7.26 MX$136

100.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.47 €10.30

$7.70 MX$144

48.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.35 €15.59

$12.69 MX$237

36.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 €2.07

$2.78 MX$52.0

-16.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.37 MX$25.56

20.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.55 MX$47.66

-14.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.30

$2.12 MX$39.67

20.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.36 €1.22

$1.94 MX$36.22

-29.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 €1.08

$1.89 MX$35.24

-36.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.15 MX$21.42

3.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$1.18 MX$22.03

9.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.08 €5.46

$4.30 MX$80.3

41.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.07 €9.94

$9.95 MX$186

11.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 €1.51

$1.58 MX$29.59

6.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.67 MX$49.91

-7.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.55 MX$10.34

3.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 €47.83

$26.62 MX$497

100.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.18 €1.96

$4.97 MX$92.9

-56.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 €1.29

$3.33 MX$62.2

-56.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$12.39 €11.13

$5.36 MX$100

131.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.44 MX$26.98

31.94%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K €25.1K

$20.7K MX$386.2K

35.14%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K €23.4K

$23.5K MX$438.5K

10.86%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$215 €193

$84.8 MX$1,584

153.50%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$22.34 €20.07

$23.41 MX$437

-4.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.73 €34.80

$28.66 MX$535

35.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$48.65 €43.71

$57.1 MX$1,066

-14.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.95 €17.02

$28.91 MX$540

-34.45%

Cinema Ticket

$10.41 €9.35

$5.14 MX$96.0

102.53%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$499 €448

$207 MX$3,860

141.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,720 €8,733

$3,927 MX$73.4K

147.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.6

$43.35 MX$810

150.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.23 €37.94

$41.44 MX$774

1.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 €91.9

$74.2 MX$1,386

37.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 €99.3

$89.3 MX$1,668

23.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$888 €798

$980 MX$18.3K

-9.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$683 €614

$381 MX$7,116

79.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,468 €1,319

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-14.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,066 €958

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-0.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,275 €4,740

$3,943 MX$73.7K

33.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,670 €3,297

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-40.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,975 €1,774

$735 MX$13.7K

168.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

11.45

-71.18%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Zagreb: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Zagreb

$683 38.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 44.2% $302

Groceries & Markets

Zagreb

$314 17.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 18.7% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zagreb

$276 15.6%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 50.4% $139

Eating Out

Zagreb

$202 11.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 0.4% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Zagreb

$164 9.2%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 31.7% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Zagreb

$69 3.9%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Zagreb

$65 3.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 22.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $888 in Zagreb versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Zagreb are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Zagreb versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $314 vs $255 – making Playa del Carmen the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇷 Zagreb

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

15:04 3:04 PM

09:04 9:04 AM

6 h behind Zagreb

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

767,131 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Zagreb Playa del Carmen 9,340 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight

From you

Zagreb
Playa del Carmen

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Zagreb vs Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Zagreb is pricier by about 47%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,658 per month in Zagreb and $1,806 in Playa del Carmen. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $888 in Zagreb and $980 in Playa del Carmen. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,772 in Zagreb and $1,204 in Playa del Carmen. That’s a gap of about 47%.

Public transport costs about 50% less in Playa del Carmen. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Playa del Carmen, where all-in costs run around $1,204, than in Zagreb at $1,772. In Playa del Carmen it covers expenses comfortably, while in Zagreb it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Playa del Carmen costs $1,204 versus $1,772 in Zagreb. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Playa del Carmen. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Zagreb makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.